Brow Shape

This is an important subject.  Why?  Because the shape of your brow can change your look.  It can make you look Crazy, Messy, Excited, it can even age you.  So Please-O-Please ensure you are getting the brow that fits YOU as an individual.  Not a brow that fit’s a trend or what you seen on someone else.  I like to take an approach were I do more tweezing then waxing.  Many brows are overly waxed.  These days thin lines are just not cute & it is very hard to grow that hair back.  Especially the older you are.

Also I get very irritated when I see the brow filled in with the wrong color powder or pencil for your brow.  Even if you have to mix colors please ensure they match because it is noticeable.  When filling in the brow strokes should be used, these stokes are to be similar to natural hair strokes.
1.  If you don't know how to do your brows then don't, you don't want to over pluck nor shave.  Like I said the older you are the thinner or less hair you may have to begin with.
2.  If you need to fill in or if your brows are too light.  Use the correct color pencil, gel, powder whatever you choose, it still needs to match the hair.  An alternate option is having them tinted.
3.  Don't allow you stylist, esthetician, nail tech, cosmetologist, whomever is doing your brows, to over wax to the point you have thin lines.  Unless thin lines are what you like, but many people prefer to have a great natural look that frames the face well.
4.  There are many things that people say help grow the brows.  I have heard Castor oil, black castor oil, Vitamin A, Ingesting more protein, multivitamins.  My opinion they all seem to work pretty well anything that can help the hair grow usually helps the brows grow also.  It is hair and has a shaft, but has been plucked, waxed many times to the point it is possible it may not grow back in some areas.  Another good reason not to over do it.


I will do a post on this in the future, but just to add.  Permanent Makeup  if you have had your brows done in the past & they are fading you will NEED to get it re-done.  If you plan on doing it in general make sure you choose someone that does a quality job.  It is noticeable if it isn't quality, so it is worth the investment to get it done right.

Zen Med Review

Well I had the opportunity to try out the products from Zen Med product line for Acne.  With the many different reasons people have acne I love to be able to try products on my clients to see how effective they are.  Zen Med caught my attention due to the natural ingredients and herbal ingredients that will not harm the skin, so long as there is no allergy.  It is not easy to find a product with these types of ingredients and is effective.  A acne kit comes with a Facial Cleansing Gel, AHA/BHA Complex pH 3.5, Botanical acne mask & spot treatment, and an Oil-free day lotion.  These products are great for someone with mild oily skin and mild acne just to help balance the skin.  Sometimes acne breakouts are due to over doing it.  So a great way to keep that neutral balance is a product like this.  You would have to first know your skin type before choosing this products.  As it is more so for a specific type of breakout.  If your breakouts are heavy, hormonal, bacterial this may not be the best option.  If they are light, or you are causing your breakouts by over stripping the oils from your skin, this is great for the breakouts and to balance the skin and it's pH.  I really enjoy the mask and many people can benefit from it's use, even just as a spot treatment.

Are you doing too much?

Question: Why do I need so many skincare products? This is a question I receive many times.  The Answer: You don’t.  I always ask my clients what they are using, the answer I hear the most is..... I use a make-up remover, I wash, exfoliate, tone, moisturize, prime before make-up, then the same at night using a night cream.  Well most of these steps are very unnecessary if you are using a quality product.  Plus many people do not need a night cream. 

1.Your cleanser should remove make-up, cleans and tone and some are even exfoliates. 

2. If you need a corrector, after cleansing this is the time to use one.  You may need a corrective to target acne, fine line, firming etc.  You may need one during the day & a different one at night or the same one two times a day.  This may be one or two items and you may be able to mix them together to create on step.

3. SPF during the day, many moisturizers now contain spf and moisturizer at the same time 15 or higher for everyone.  Also there are many available that are makeup primers and do a pretty good job.

At night you may just need a really good serum, or hydrate as needed depending on your skin type or condition.

So investing in quality skincare products can save you time and money.  Money because you may spend a bit more, but you have less steps, better ingredients, better formulation, and you will see the results you are looking to achieve.  This way you will not keep spending your money on a different product each time you go shopping.  Less products = Less Clutter = Less stress & Money money to spend on other things.

Summer Skin care Tips:

Summer is not too far away and some skin care tips seem to be necessary at this time.

1. Sunblock, the sun can & will age you.  You must block the UVA and UVB rays, so a broad spectrum sunscreen should be the ONLY option.  I do prefer a physical sunblock which deflects the sun rays over a sunscreen that absorbs them.
2. Hydration, yes you must stay hydrated.  The heat and summertime can dehydrate you and this can take a toll on your skin as well.  It can give you a dry feeling and you may want to over moisturize.  When actually your skin is dehydrated.
3. Vitamin C and other antioxidants.  Antioxidants fight free radicals.  While you are having your fun in the sun it is very important to add that extra protection.  This will help obtain and retain radiant skin, and slow the aging process that the sun contributes to.
4. Looking for that glow and great skin with little or now makeup.  Mild exfoliation, Vitamin C treatments.  These can assist with giving you an even skin tone and continued Vitamins to nourish your skin.
5. Stay away from harsh chemicals and harsh exfoliation.  You don’t want to compromise the barrier of your skin while out in the sun.  This will contribute to further damage and aging.  If you plan on getting a peel and get your skin on track try to do these treatments before summer begins and just maintain with hydrating, nutrient based treatments during the summer.

Everyday I see many clients with skin damage, aging, and beginning stages of skin cancer all due to the sun & free radicals.  These things can be reduced and/or prevented with a little extra effort and knowledge.

I’ve thought about getting a facial but never have. Why should I stop thinking about it and get it done?

Well first I have to ask… Do you know your skin type?  Do you buy products based on what the bottle says rather then what it can really do for you?  Do you keep purchasing different products because you didn’t receive any results from the others.  Well if yes to any of these you should just go and seeing your esthetician.
Keeping with the basics for this post.  Visiting an esthetician can help you know what your skin type is, what products & ingredients could work best for you.  Commonly many people think they are oily and will use products for oily skin and end up stripping their skin.  Others think they have Rosacea or acne and actually just have redness from stimulation that goes away and causes no issue or just breakouts here and there that do not equate to acne.
Extractions…Black and Whitheads are not that great to look at in the mirror everyday.  They are both bacteria one dead and one thriving and ready to spread to other parts of the face.  If you keep this clean it can change your texture, the appearance of pore size, allow your skin to have a more healthy and hydrated look.  Men tend to have larger pores so this if very important for them. I also find some peoples skin like different types of ingredients.  Maybe their skin absorbs or thrives off of more natural ingredients due to their individual biological makeup or how they feed their bodies.  Skin and nutrition go hand in hand, finding out if what you are or are not eating or supplementing with can also change the health and appearance of your skin.

Ask Your Esthetician/Aesthetician Questions:

Interview your Esthetician:  How to avoid paying for fluff service when you want to see results.

1) What ingredients does your esthetician like or agree with?  Why? Because some estheticians purchase products/brand names and not ingredients all products do not have performance ingredients if you are looking to receive results.  Plus the science in skin care is ever changing.  New developments allow treatments to be more progressive and results driven.  A product line doesn't guarantee results but the ingredients and the formulation may.

2) Receive a tour of the room & or facility.  They don’t need every piece of equipment available on the market, BUT if they tell you, you are receiving a microderm make sure they have a microderm machine.  Just for example.

3)  Year or Hrs of training and/or years as an esthetician.  I feel this may need to be a case by case.  WHY?  So if you have an esthetician with 3years experience but have not had any extra training.  What are their skills & how important is this career to them?  If you have an esthetician with less years experience but more training.  They invested in their skill and knowledge.  If you have an esthetician with many years experience and training well you know this is definitely their passion and they SHOULD do what is necessary to make you look & feel better.

Bottom Line.  Is this a business to them or just a J-O-B!

4) Are they speaking to you & asking questions before your appointment?  Why?  This is important b/c many of the products used are enhanced to provide corrective results.  So we must know how you will react.  If these questions are not asked then either nothing serious is being used or you may find a reaction you didn’t expect.

5) And Not least, but listed last ;).   How comfortable are you with your esthetician.  Not how relaxed, not how convinced, but comfortable & trusting.

**Results can be anti-aging, exfoliation, acne or rosacea soothing, with regular use & treatments can lead to long term effects.  Results do not mean your acne, rosacea, fine lines, texture, etc. will clear up in one treatment.

Hope this information helps you to successed in your quest to find good, quality care.

Inside Outside Skin Care & Beauty

Just Like any other profession Aestheticians have there particular "gurus" they enjoy listening and learning from.  For me the two I will talk about today may not be my "gurus" yet, but I enjoy the information they have to offer.  It is usefull & necessary.  
Sometimes it doesn't matter what a licensed professional advises you to do or gives you for take home use if the client is not doing their part.  I believe in both inside and outside beauty.  I believe solutions are not just topical product usage but also internal aswell.  A pretty good book I purchased at Amazon and have been reading is "The Beauty Detox Solution".  
It has been proven that problems with your interal organs, systems, etc. can show up on your skin, hair, and nails.  So eating properly goes a long way.  So why do many doctors claim it doesn't, but yet know your intenal problems show up on your skin & yes what you eat & drink affect those internal organs & systems.  Do you have to commit and go to the extreme?  No, but incorporating some of these tips and solutions can make a difference. 

Another book that caught my eye while on Amazon was a book by dermatologist Jessica Wu, "Feed Your Face".  Why?  Because I love the name, I was originally set on naming my blog "Fix Your Face" ha! ha!.  Well she gives a 28 day step to smoother skin and better body.  Also goes into how and why food affects your skin. 

So do you have a skin problem that is just not going away no matter what you do, an alternate options is to look at what you are ingesting.  We live in a country were most of us are not going to go to the extreme of a complete lifestyle change.  Why live if you can't have fun & good food.  Well incorporating and cutting down make a world of differnce.  Baby steps.